Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy 33 years old

A short film about the relationship between an Aboriginal daughter and her white mother. The daughter, now the sole carer of her dying mother, dreams of far away places, the haunted look in her eyes loaded with a sense of what could have been. Famous Aboriginal singer, Jimmy Little, sings 'Royal Telephone', evoking the presence of Christianity and its role in the assimilation of Aboriginal people. The final scene sees the daughter lying in a foetal position next to her mother, crying. Assimilation, then, can be understood as a pain experienced by both the Aboriginal daughter as well as the white mother.

Credits

Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy Cast

Name Character
Agnes Hardwick as Old Mother
Elizabeth Gentle as Young Mother
Shaun Saunders as Boy
Alkira Fitzgerald as Young Daughter
Liam Wridgeway as Boy
Marcia Langton She was 39, now 72 years old as Daughter
Jimmy Little He was 53, 75 years old when he died as Singer

Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy Crew

Name Department
Tracey Moffatt as Director. She was 30 (now 63) years old Directing
Tracey Moffatt as Writer. She was 30 (now 63) years old Writing
Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy (33 years)

  • Release day: Monday, December 31, 1990
  • Runtime: 19 minutes